Icardi v Higuaín: a battle for the Scudetto and a World Cup spot

Saturday’s table-topping clash between Inter and Juventus in Serie sees a fantastic face off between Icardi and Higuaín, two rivals for Russia

“He is one of the best centre forwards in the world and he needs to be in the Argentina squad.”

Lionel Messi could have been talking about a few players when discussing some of his national team teammates during an interview with TyC Sports this week but it wasn’t old pal Sergio Agüero or Serie A’s leading marksman, Mauro Icardi that the Barcelona star singled out for praise. It was Gonzalo Higuaín, a player who has found himself on the outside of Jorge Sampaoli’s most recent squads, but is still pushing for a place in Russia.

Agüero’s spot, provided the Manchester City striker remains fit, looks certain after his friendly goals but the potential battle between the experienced Higuain and the young upstart Icardi provides an intriguing subplot to Serve A’s top of the table clash on Saturday.